


Best Left Unsaid

by MissJewelry373



Series: Probably Never Going To Be Finished [5]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: But also not, F/M, S5 AU, Slow Burn, angst and longing throughout, because we all love that trash, idk it's hard to explain, lots of wishy-washiness on Daryl's part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21684016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissJewelry373/pseuds/MissJewelry373
Summary: S5x06 AU. Daryl tells Carol something moments before going over the bridge, thinking they're about to die. When they don't, he has to deal with the consequences. Carol questions, Daryl denies, and the two embark on an awkward journey of love and miscommunication amidst their efforts of trying to save Beth. Caryl.
Relationships: Carol Peletier/Daryl Dixon, Caryl - Relationship, Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier
Series: Probably Never Going To Be Finished [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/842328
Kudos: 7





	Best Left Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve had this idea written up for a few years now, and since I’ve got the first chapter written I’m like why not, let’s post it. I’ve noticed that once I get the ball rolling I tend to be more apt to finish fics, so there’s that. We’ll see, haha. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.

Chapter one: Over~

* * *

They were going over the edge.

They were going to go over the goddamn edge.

Daryl screwed his eyes shut, trying to control his breathing as he gripped the dashboard of the work van. 

This was it.

They had gone off from the group to find Beth and now they were going to die. All because of him. Him and his stupid impulses. And now here they were, sitting in an abandoned vehicle hanging over the edge of a bridge waiting for a herd of damned walkers to push them to their deaths, probably a hair's breadth away from finding Beth-

A hand covered his, and Daryl opened his eyes and turned his head ever so slightly to see Carol smiling fearfully but softly back at him, her chest heaving with anticipation as she tried not to focus on the two hundred foot drop beyond the windshield. 

It was her way of forgiving him, of saying it wasn't his fault that they got into this mess and that she was sorry too. For Beth. For herself. For him. For everything.

The van gave a slight jerk as it was pushed forward, the groans of the hungry undead growing louder. 

He tried to smile back, but given their current predicament and the guilt he was feeling, he ultimately failed.

So he merely gripped her hand tighter, so tight it probably hurt, but neither of them was going to say anything in protest, and neither really cared.

They needed this. Needed each other. If they were going to die, he wanted the last person he looked at to be Carol. He wasn't sure whether to feel happy that his dying wish was coming true, or guilty because he was so selfish, but it hardly mattered over the uneasy churning going on in his stomach that drowned out almost everything else. Everything but him, Carol, and the ground that awaited them so far away.

The van gave another jerk. They couldn’t have much longer.

He snapped his eyes shut, only to open them a second later. He glanced over at Carol, whose eyes were closed tight, probably praying for a quick death. Daryl quickly ran his eyes over her face, trying to remember every detail of the woman he had come to call his friend, his companion, confidant...

 _Love_.

 _Say it_ , a voice echoed. _If you don't say it now, you'll never get the chance._

His lips twitched, but didn't open.

Say it.

His vocal cords weren't working.

Say it.

...He couldn't do it.

Say it.

The van gave a final push.

_Say it!_

Gathering all of his courage and pushing it down with the rising bile in his throat, he wet his lips and opened his mouth. Hesitating only for a moment, he stared at Carol, whose eyes were still closed, and squeezed her hand before finally shouting-

"I love you!"

Her eyes shot open, snapped to his-

And they went over the edge.


End file.
